Hotwire Communications representative says Fibrant is a “unique situation”

Published 11:33 pm Thursday, February 8, 2018

SALISBURY — Jonathan Bullock is a fan of Cheerwine.

But that’s not the only reason the vice president of corporate development and government for Hotwire Communications is excited about a potential deal with the city of Salisbury.

“This is a pretty unique situation. There are not a lot of municipalities that have built out fiber (networks) to almost every household in the city,” Bullock said in an interview Thursday.

Bullock, who has been on the job at Hotwire for almost six years, said the opportunity to lease Fibrant would be “very exciting.”

“The build was fantastic. The city did a great job of building the network, and we’re looking forward to having the opportunity to work with it,” Bullock said.

Bullock said he is unable to release many details at this point about what changes would come for Fibrant users if the deal between Hotwire Communications and the city goes through.

He said services would be “competitive” and that, if needed, the company would upgrade video and internet options.

“We do commit to strong standards. We consider ourselves a concierge-style company, and we really love customers,” Bullock said.

Although the potential deal with Fibrant is unique in that it involves taking over an existing municipal fiber network, Bullock said, Hotwire works with municipalities “all the time.”

“(If the deal goes through), we will work with the city and we would love to be a part of the dialogue,” Bullock said. “We will consider ourselves a new member of the community, and we’d love to start that as soon as possible.”

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, City Manager Lane Bailey announced that the city is close to reaching a deal that would lease Fibrant to Hotwire Communications.

Bailey said city officials are “optimistic” that a final agreement can be reached in the next few weeks.

Contact reporter Jessica Coates at 704-797-4222.